Texas elector says he will not cast his vote for Donald Trump

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Texas elector says he will not cast his vote for Donald Trump

WASHINGTON — A Texas elector said Monday that enough is enough — he will not cast his vote for President-elect Donald Trump as part of the Electoral College process on December 19.

Christopher Suprun, a paramedic from Texas who served as a firefighter during the Sept. 11 attacks, wrote in an editorial published in The New York Times that even though he is a Republican elector, he will not vote for Trump.

Suprun will cast his vote along with the other electors (538 in total) from every state and the District of Columbia on December 19 as part of the Electoral College process.

“Fifteen years ago, I swore an oath to defend my country and Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” he wrote. “On Dec. 19, I will do it again.”

Suprun ends the editorial by saying that the electors still have a chance to unify behind a Republican alternative such as Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Along with Suprun, 36 other electors planning to vote for Trump would have to abandon their vote for him — which is almost beyond the realm of possibility. Even if Suprun doesn’t cast his vote for Trump, Trump is headed toward the 270 votes he needs to become president in January.

In the editorial Suprun explained that he believes Trump has shown he’s not qualified for the Oval Office. He wrote that the last time the nation was united was after the Sept. 11 attacks, while Trump has failed “to unite America” and drove “a wedge between us.”

“He does not encourage civil discourse, but chooses to stoke fear and create outrage,” Suprun wrote in the editorial.

Suprun added that Trump’s actions, such as saying “Russia should hack Hillary Clinton’s emails” and urging “violence against protesters at his rallies during the campaign” show that he is not qualified to be president.

He also wrote about how the advisers Trump surrounds himself with, including retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn for National Security Adviser and Steve Bannon, a former Breitbart executive named to a senior adviser position, are not positive influences on him.

“He has surrounded himself with advisers such as Stephen K. Bannon, who claims to be a Leninist and lauds villains and their thirst for power, including Darth Vader,” he wrote. “Gen. Michael T. Flynn, Mr. Trump’s pick for national security adviser, has his own checkered past about rules.”